Café
by LadyFrederic
Summary: Post-Avengers. When the ladies meet up at a local café, what will they chat about? Their boys, naturally! Mostly Pepper/Tony with some Betty/Bruce and Jane/Thor thrown in for good measure. ;D
1. Chapter 1

Pepper picked up her phone and dialed. After three rings, the woman on the other end picked up. "Doctor Elizabeth Ross, how can I help you?"

"Hi, Betty," Pepper replied brightly. "I was just checking to make sure our lunch date for today was still on. You'll be there, right?" It was currently nine o'clock that morning, their reservation set for eleven thirty.

"Of course. Will Jane be there as well?"

"Yes, I just called her. Lucky for us, she's in New York already, visiting Thor. She said she'd be delighted to officially meet us, finally. So, I guess I'll see you later, Betty."

"Good-bye, Pepper." Betty hung up and the phone began emitting a dial tone. Pepper set the phone down with a small smile—she was looking forward to speaking with the other women who were dating a 'superhero'. Finally, she could just talk about Tony with friends who weren't constantly asking her about working for him; she was planning on dishing some good, old-fashioned gossip.

She finished getting ready and was about to walk out of her room at the remolded tower in New York City. Unfortunately, she didn't see the stack of paper coming toward her, and walked right into it, causing the stationary to fly in a flurry of white, blue, and pink. "Sorry," she said, knowing who had been carrying said stack of documents.

"It's alright," Tony replied. Pepper began to help picking them up when Tony stopped her.

"Stop," he ordered and Pepper's hands froze. "You're going to pay me back in a different way." Pepper rolled her eyes, wondering what he had planned for her. "Would you like to know what it is?"

"Might as well," she said. "What do I have to do to pay you back?"

"Join me for dinner tonight." Pepper smiled, but was breathing an inner sigh of relief. She expected the favor to be much worse. Suddenly, though, she knew the was going to get a lot more complicated.

"What else?" she asked slyly.

Tony stood and looked at her, eyes twinkling. "You have to tell me the truth the entire time. You can decline answering five questions, but everything else has to be the total truth." Pepper sighed aloud this time. Of course he didn't want just a nice dinner date.

"Fine. What time and where?"

"Just be ready, here, at six o'clock."

As Tony started walking away, stack of papers in hand, Pepper realized something. "How long had you been walking back and forth with those blank papers before I ran into you?"

"Um, about thirty minutes." Pepper shook her head—the dropping of papers and chance to get Pepper to do something for Tony hadn't been an accident. As she suspected, he had been waiting and planned the entire thing.


	2. Chapter 2

Pepper arrived exactly at eleven thirty, much to her annoyance. She had wanted to get there at least five minutes early to make sure everything at Susan's Bistro in downtown Manhattan was going well. Pepper wanted to secure their reservation and have the other women walk in to her calmly sipping at sparkling cider, like a proper business woman. However, like much of Pepper's life, her carefully laid plans had been for naught because of Tony. Embarrassingly, she walked to the table and found Betty sitting and drinking from a tall glass of crystal clear water.

"Sorry," she said lamely, sitting down. "My job required my attention. So, how are you?" Pepper looked across the finely dressed table to the finely dressed woman she was speaking to, wondering with awe how Betty was able to be so calm and composed at all times.

"I'm fine. It's nice to see Bruce more often, but because of my work, that's still not as much as I'd like." Betty seemed to be thinking elsewhere and Pepper sat awkwardly, wondering how to make conversation. "I assume the 'job' you referred to is Tony Stark." Pepper smiled meekly as Betty's eyes seemed to analyze her.

"Yes. He managed to talk me into a dinner date just before leaving." Betty looked at her oddly. "What?"

"He has to talk you into going out with him? I thought you two were together, a couple."

"Well—" Pepper began. However, she was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Jane Foster.

"Sorry I'm so late," she said breathlessly. Jane brushed her brown hair out of her face, revealing her lipstick that had gone quite astray. When Betty mentioned it to her, Jane quickly went scarlet and began wiping it off. "Sorry. I was—"

"—with Thor?" Pepper cut in. Jane nodded. "Well, now that we're all here, let's talk."

"About what?" Betty asked.

Jane sat up brightly. "About our boys, of course." Pepper nodded in agreement and a smile pulled at the corner of Betty's lips. After a short pause, Jane spoke again. "Who wants to go first?" Betty slowly raised her hand. "Alright! You're on, Betty."


	3. Chapter 3

"Well, obviously, I'm in love with Bruce Banner," Betty began. She stopped, though, looking between the other two.

"And…?" Jane asked, pressing for more. "Tell us about what's good and bad about loving the Hulk." Betty looked down at the table.

"I'll start with the good. Bruce is very kind, gentle, and generous. He is very concerned with humanity and is ashamed of what he has done. He's a very kind and wonderful person, and I love him a lot.

"However…" Betty paused. "It's difficult to love a man who's never there." She fell into silence. "You must understand, I love the Hulk just as much as Bruce—they are one in the same, and the Hulk knows me when he knows no one else. The worst part about Bruce is that he doesn't trust himself. He is constantly worried that he'll hurt others, which he could; but I know that he would never hurt innocent people."

Pepper spoke up. "What does that mean for people who aren't innocent?" Betty's eyes went dark.

"The only times I have ever seen him change and then hurt others is when he was unjustly attacked or chased. Therefore, to Hulk, those people were not innocent. He just wants to be left alone; that's the only think he wants when he's in that state."

"What about if something happens to you?" Jane asked. "I saw the footage of what happened at Culver University. Isn't it known that the madder he gets, Hulk becomes that much stronger?" Betty nodded. "That is the basis for my question. On the footage, I saw that he was only able to destroy those sound wave vehicles after you screamed for him and were hit." Silence followed Jane's conclusion.

"I guess it's possible that he really, truly recognizes me…" Betty's cheeks slowly reddened.

Jane and Pepper smiled at each other and looked back at Betty. "There's not doubt," Pepper said. "You're the only one who can calm him down—the only one who's not frightened of him." Betty smiled through watery eyes.

"Well, I've spoken about Bruce… What's it like being in love with a Norse god, Jane?"


	4. Chapter 4

Jane smiled meekly as the conversation was suddenly directed at her. "I don't know…" she began slowly. "He's pretty awesome…"

"C'mon we want details," Pepper prompted, sipping at her cider. "Juicy details…"

"Yeah," Betty said, getting on Jane's case. "Tell us all about him. The good, the bad, the ugly… You get the picture." Pepper and Betty exchanged grins while Jane flustered about, trying to find the right words.

"He just… makes me complete. I feel so right and alive with him. The good?" She sighed dreamily. "Where to begin… Well, he's devilishly handsome. He's so rugged and stylish, but so old-school at the same time; it's most likely because he's not from earth. Wait—am I the only one dating someone not from earth?" The others nodded in unison. "Anyway, he's so… warm. I can't feel sad or alone when he's with me. Thor just… he's my other half." Jane gazed languorously at the sky, perhaps picturing her rugged and stylish boyfriend.

"And…?" Pepper asked, making Jane jump. "What's bad about him?"

Jane's shoulders sagged. "I have the same problem as you, Betty." The other woman smiled and nodded. "Because Thor's from another… world… he's gone a lot, too. I mean, Odin is the ruler of Asgard, but Thor is a primary diplomat. He's needed to keep the peace and such. So, I don't get to see him often. That's one of the reasons that I really like that he joined the Avengers—whenever there's a problem, he comes back."

"Then why is he here now?" Betty questioned.

"Every once in a while he comes back for a visit. Thank you," she said, looking up at the server who had just brought them their food. Jane picked up her sandwich and took a bite before continuing. "I know it sounds horrible, but I always look forward to when a disaster arises that requires the Avengers to come together. Then I get to see him again…" She petered out, looking longingly at her meal.

"Do you think you two will ever…? You know…" Betty trailed away from her question awkwardly.

"Will we ever what?" Jane asked, confusion in her eyes.

"Get… married?" Jane's eyes went wide and her face slowly turned crimson.

"Uh. Um. Well. Uh." She struggled to find the right words to express her feeling on the matter and finally discovered that her voice had, in fact, just been hiding—it didn't totally leave her. "I mean, honestly? I've asked him about… if we could be more. He said that he'd want to take me to Asgard to meet his parents first; I mean, if we ever… I'd have to be able to go to Asgard—probably live there. I don't know if I'm ready for that commitment. I really do like earth, after all." She finished her tale with a shrug.

"So, not ready to become a goddess, yet?" Pepper inquired teasingly.

"Nope. Besides, I still have my research to finish here." Jane took another bite of her sandwich and the other ladies munched quietly on their salads. "So… Pepper…" Jane began, looking impishly at her. "When are we getting invitations?"

"Invitations to what?" Pepper asked.

"To your wedding! You and Tony practically live together already. Why not just tie the knot now?" Pepper at once turned scarlet.


	5. Chapter 5

Once she had fully composed herself and the other women's laughter had subsided, Pepper began telling her companions about Tony.

"I really don't see us getting married anytime soon," she finally said, attempting to sound indifferent.

"Do you want to get married?" Betty asked plainly.

Pepper shrugged and poked at her salad. "Sure. I mean, like you said, I pretty much live with him. The only difference would be that we would share a bed. Quite honestly, I'm ready for the change—the only question is if Tony is." Jane nodded.

"So, is that all you have to say?" Jane questioned.

Betty jumped in. "There has to be more… What's the worst thing about Tony?"

Pepper sighed heavily. "Can I just pick one?" Jane laughed and Betty shook her head. "Well, he's terribly vain but a total charmer. He's a pain in the neck but has me in the palm of his hand; little does he know it, though. Basically, he's a big jerk who almost always takes advantage of people and doesn't think twice about it." Betty smiled and Jane looked taken aback.

"And you're _in love_ with this guy?" Jane asked in disbelief. Pepper nodded matter-of-factly. "Is there anything good?"

Pepper chuckled. "Surprisingly, yes. He can be so courageous and self-sacrificing. Tony cares awfully for his friends and those close to them, and is very protective. I can't imagine doing anything else with my life, yet he drives me completely crazy; especially whenever he puts on that suit. To him, that suit represents the good he is doing for all of the world and makes him invincible. But when I look at that dreadful thing, all I see is a coffin that he himself drives the nail into. I know it makes him happy, though, and I know he does help people, so I let that mask that suit for what I know it is. Others look at it and are inspired by what he's done and will do—I look at it and can't help but worry."

The others looked at her with wide eyes. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Betty spoke up. "You really feel that way about what he does?"

"Of course. Don't you get nervous or scared when Bruce changes?" Betty grudgingly nodded. "I know that he'll be okay and that he'll always come back from the fights; but there's always that little part of me that asks, "What if he _doesn't_?" And then that's all I can think about."

They all sat in silence for a time, eating what was left of their meals and Pepper took the check when it came, not allowing the other two to pay for their share. After the waiter had taken the bill, Betty stood up. "It was truly a pleasure having lunch with you ladies today. We definitely need to do this again." Jane and Pepper smiled and all three women shook hands before going in their separate directions.


	6. Chapter 6

Pepper arrived back at the tower at three, giving her plenty of time to stress over the 'dinner date' she had with Tony. She had no idea what he was planning, and that scared her. She usually knew every detail of his life, from what time he was eating breakfast to how many bathroom breaks he took during the day. So, to be kept in the dark about an event that was obviously important to Tony left her feeling anxious and nervous as opposed to hopeful and excited. Pepper worried the time away and changed into a blue cocktail dress, not exactly sure what she should be wearing. When the large antique grandfather clock in her room struck six, a brisk knock came at the door.

Pepper gingerly opened it to find Tony, smiling and looking quite dashing. He had a fitted black suit on, minus the tie. Instead, he had left the first couple of buttons on his pure white dress shirt undone, completing his ruggedly-handsome look. He offered Pepper his arm and asked, "Shall we be going?" Pepper nodded and the two walked down the hallway to the awaiting elevator.

Before they stepped inside, however, Pepper turned to Tony. "Instead of me answering all questions truthfully except for five, I've decided that I'm only going to answer ten. I don't want you quizzing me all evening. And you have to let me know when I must tell the truth." When Tony looked crestfallen, Pepper continued. "It's either that or I'm going back to my room."

"Fine," he grudgingly agreed. They stepped into the elevator and, instead of going down like Pepper had expected, they were going up. Within seconds a small _ding_ came from the elevator and its doors opened to the roof of the tower. Pepper and Tony stepped out into the cool September air, and Pepper let out a small gasp.

The concrete pavement was littered with rose petals, all in different colors. Every so often a tall, fat candle would be sticking out of the ground, mood lighting the entire roof. In the middle of it all was a single round table, just big enough for two, covered in a white tablecloth with matching chairs. There was a single bottle of wine ready to be opened, and two identical wine glasses on the table. Tony pulled out Pepper's chair for her and she sat daintily. He lowered down into the other chair and beamed at Pepper as she continued to admire the atmosphere he had set up.

Tony uncorked the wine and poured each of them a quarter-full of the glass. He swished it around in the crystal expertly and took a short swig before setting it down, clasping his hands under his chin, and staring straight at Pepper. "What?" she asked nervously.

"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering what I should ask you now that I only have ten chances instead of the fifty I was planning on using." Pepper rolled her eyes but smiled. "Jarvis, get service up here with our first meal," he ordered quickly, and not a minute later a solitary waiter came up from the elevator with their food on steaming white porcelain. He set the dishes carefully on the table, asked if they needed anything else, and left with a flourish of his black apron.

Pepper stared at the meal. They were having what appeared to be rock lobster tail smothered in a butter, cheese, crab, and shrimp sauce, accompanied by garlic and cheese mashed potatoes. The smell was heavenly and Pepper dug in as gracefully as she could. After their first few bites, Tony set down his fork and began scrutinizing Pepper again. "First question," he announced and Pepper nodded as she continued eating the incredible seafood. "Do you love me or Iron Man?" Pepper set down her own fork and smiled.

"I love you both. But if I had to choose…" Pepper rested her chin on her fist and looked up at the sky, pretending to be deep in thought. "I'd take Tony Stark over Iron Man any day." Tony's eyebrows shot up.

"Really?" he asked. "Even though Tony Stark is a playboy, self-centered, and doesn't generally care for others around him?"

"Is this your next question?" Tony nodded. "Yes, really. With Iron Man, it'd be a little hard to do this." She took some mashed potatoes on her fork and fed Tony. "But, that's the beauty of you being both. I don't have to choose." Tony smiled and they continued with their meal. However, it hadn't been two minutes before Tony asked her another question.

"Question three," he began. "What is your favorite thing about me?"

"Hmm…" Pepper said, honestly thinking. "The way you're very concerned with others when you're being Iron Man. It's very inspiring to watch you being so self-sacrificing." Tony nodded and they continued with their meal.

After finishing the lobster, Tony called for another server to bring another course. The waiter promptly arrived and brought with him a palate cleanser and a gourmet looking soup—which turned out to be a delectable lobster bisque. "A seafood themed dinner?" Pepper asked teasingly.

"Don't you like seafood? Wait, don't answer that. I know you do." A small glint appeared in his eyes and he poured her more wine. "Next question; number four. What do you like most about living in this tower?"

Pepper set her spoon down. "These are good questions. Now… the most? I like being close to you." Pepper took this time to wipe her lips of some stray soup, at the same time covering up her cheeks which had darkened. Recovering quickly, she added, "I can now stop all the crazy ideas you have before you have a chance to implement them." They both smiled knowingly. It wasn't a few minutes before Tony asked his fifth question.

"How do you feel about me being Iron Man?" Pepper's throat seized up immediately, nervous to tell Tony her thoughts. Slurping a bit of her soup to stall, Pepper decided she would tell him only part of her opinion—it wasn't lying…

"Sometimes you scare me… But I know what you're doing is very noble and gallant, and I'm proud of you." An awkward silence followed her sentiment, filled only by Pepper eating her soup. She finished quickly and stared boldly back at Tony. "Any more questions?" she added with a smile.

Tony called for the next course. Another palate cleanser came, accompanied with a few gourmet crackers. Pepper crunched on one rather loudly and Tony snickered quietly—which, in turn set them both in a fit of near-silent giggles. When their laughter subsided, Tony asked yet another question.

"Number six," he stated, handing Pepper a glass of water he had gotten from the previous waiter. "Who's your favorite Avenger besides me?"

Pepper smiled mischievously. "And how do you know you're my favorite?" Tony cocked one eyebrow and Pepper continued. "Probably Steve. I mean, he's not destroying things constantly and I think it's cute that he's not yet used to our culture. I really enjoy Natasha's company as well; especially since we worked together." Tony nodded thoughtfully.

The next question came at once. "Seventh question. When did you realize you were in love with me?" Pepper smiled and shook her head. She had been wondering when Tony would start asking more serious questions.

"I think the feeling for you was always there, ever since I met you. I tried to bury it, though, telling myself it was foolish to fall for my boss—particularly since it was _you_. The emotion went dormant for a time, I think. It would arise whenever you did something that was chiefly stupid or reckless. The only time I let the feeling totally out was when you kissed me after saving me. Pick whichever one you want." Pepper sat back, full of crackers. "How many courses left?"

"Just one," Tony answered, apparently pleased with her reply. The final waiter appeared and set one large piece of chocolate cake smothered in a raspberry vanilla covering topped with whipped cream.

"Oh my gosh," Pepper breathed, looking at the masterpiece. "This looks absolutely delicious!" Tony and Pepper smiled at each other and neither one wanted to look away. Eventually, though, Tony glanced at the cake and motioned for Pepper to take the first bite. "You're awfully quiet tonight," she noted. "Is everything alright, Tony?"

"Of course. I just have a lot on my mind. Now, next question… Where do you see yourself in five years?"

Pepper stopped eating to actually think about this one. She hadn't been asked this question since high school, and then the answer was terribly obvious—she was going to go to college. But now, at a time in her life where nothing was set in stone, Pepper honestly didn't know. "Is this more asking where do I hope to see myself?" Tony nodded. "I hope that I'm still working for you. Well, dating you as well." Pepper smiled and Tony got a small glint in his eyes. "I mean, we could become more in five years… But that's up to you, Tony." Tony smiled slightly at her indirect jab that they could be married—possibly have children—in the next five years.

After that question, Tony hit her with the ninth one. "Do you want us to become more?" There was a hint of fretfulness in his voice as he waited to hear what Pepper would say.

Pepper sat in her chair, taken aback. She didn't know how to respond, and it was a few moments before she found her voice. Sitting up, she replied, "Of course. I like how we are now, but I wouldn't mind in the least if we became more." Pepper could feel her cheeks turn a slight pink and hoped Tony hadn't noticed. He was staring off into space, smiling widely.

They finished the cake and the wine and simply sat there in a comfortable silence. "You have one question left," Pepper remarked, leaning forward on the table. "What's your last question for the evening?"

Tony's eyes immediately lit up and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring with a pearl inset. It wasn't very large or flashy, just classically beautiful and Pepper let out a tiny gasp. "Would you wear this promise ring, pledging you will wait for me, and only me?" Pepper smiled and took the ring from him, sliding it on her left hand ring finger.

"Of course, Mister Stark."

The ring hadn't been the exact kind she had wanted; but she was glad Tony wanted to take things slowly, do them in the right order. Besides, she needed to call Betty and Jane to arrange another lunch date—she had much to talk about.

**Author's Note: ~Fin~ I hope you enjoyed my little adventure. Thank you to everyone who Favorited/Alerted or Reviewed! I greatly appreciate the support… Now, go read my other stories! JK …But not really. XD**

**Tony's not man enough to propose….. XD Not yet, anyways….**

**Cordially, LadyFrederic ;D**


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